Apple's next-generation iPhone is set to make a huge splash this fall when it releases, and new information from China indicates that production of the iPhone 6 will begin this month.

According to Taiwan's Economic Daily News via Reuters, Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd. will begin mass-producing the 4.7-inch model of the iPhone 6 during the third week of July and the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 during the second week of August. No sources were named and bear in mind Apple hasn't made any official comment on the matter.  

Apple is expected to reveal the iPhone 6 sometime in September, with a U.S. release probably happening a week or so after the curtains are pulled back. The iPhone 6 will mark a new era for Apple -- one where the iPhone finally crosses over into the 5-inch large-screen smartphone territory.  Last year was the first time more than one iPhone model was released at the same time (the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c), but 2014 promises to be even bigger.

"Based on our analysis of global iPhone sales by region, we believe consumers slowed the pace of iPhone upgrade purchases during the iPhone 5 and 5s product cycles," Canaccord Genuity analyst T. Michael Walkley recently wrote in a research note. We believe the extended replacement rates combined with new larger-screen iPhones position Apple with its large installed base for record iPhone 6 sales.

There have been rumors floating around recently, however, that the release of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 could be delayed until 2015. It seems highly unlikely, given the high-profile nature of the release, but some cite production issues as the cause.

"Production bottlenecks on 4.7-inch iPhone 6 center on the yield rate of in-cell touch panel and metal casing," KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote in a report.

"As in-cell touch panel becomes larger in size, the edge of the panel may become insensitive to touch. Meanwhile, under new manufacturing process for the iPhone 6 metal casing, color unevenness is an issue."

When it does hit shelves, both iPhone 6 variants should sport similar specs, with a couple differences. Under the hood should lie a brand new 64-bit 20-nanometer 2GHz dual-core A8 chip, an improvement over the A7 in many aspects even though it isn't quad-core and will work alongside 1GB RAM again. As far as internal storage goes, iPhone 6s should start around 32GB and there's even talk of a 128GB 5.5-inch version in the works.

While it's unclear if there will be a huge bump camera wise, the iPhone 6's camera could weigh in around 13 megapixels, with optical image stabilization a possibility on the 5.5-incher. Oh, and the iPhone 6 could be the first iPhone to finally have an NFC chip.

The larger-screen iPhone 6 could also come equipped with a fancy sapphire crystal display and expect iOS 8 onboard once the smartphone releases in the fall.

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